10 Best AHS Actor Transformations – Vote for Your Favorite

American Horror Story fans will recognize the master costuming skills displayed on the show. Vote for your favorite actor transformation on AHS, add your own to the list, and come back to see which one wins the vote!

An obvious homage to fashionista Grace Coddington, Frances Conroy's character in AHS: Coven is a brutally stoic (but honest) witch who didn't even flinch when burned at the stake. Perhaps best known as Ruth Fisher on Six Feet Under, Conroy is almost unrecognizable beneath all the hair and flair.

Sarah Paulson was certainly no newcomer to the AHS franchise when she suited up as a drug-addled ghost in AHS: Hotel. Although she also played conjoined twins in AHS: Freak Show, she's almost more unrecognizable as Hypodermic Sally with her frazzled hair and ghoulish makeup.

It took a hefty amount of special effects talent to bring Twisty the Clown to life for AHS: Freak Show. If you've managed to erase the image from your nightmares, Twisty shot off his jaw with a shotgun, leaving him horribly disfigured beneath his mask. But no amount of makeup could make that happen, so crew members would paint his face green and cover it with motion capture sensors for the CGI effects.

Frankenstein has nothing on Infantata. The late Ben Woolf played the miniature monstrosity in season 1, and the character is the reanimated remnants of the murdered Montgomery child–but he's also ravenous for blood. To capture the unsettling look, Woolf had to submit to one heckuva makeup routine.

If you didn't already know Grace Gummer is Meryl Streep's daughter, you would have had a tough time seeing the resemblance in AHS: Freak Show. To achieve her look as "Lizard Girl," she endured daily application of an elaborate puzzle of prosthetic tattoos that covered her entire head and neck. Although her forked tongue was added in post-production, she did sometimes have to wear a silicon applique.

Denis O'Hare's transformation into a transgender woman is thorough–and not just on the outside. Aside from the makeup and outfits, O'Hare gave a nuanced performance that showed the emotional impact transitioning can have. Liz Taylor is the heart and soul of the Hotel Cortez, and she is simply fabulous.

AHS: Freak Show spawned a catalog of unique individuals, but none stood out more than the diminutive Pepper. A lot of makeup went into overhauling Naomi Grossman's appearance for the role: It took two people nearly three hours to apply the prosthetic details, fake teeth, contact lens, and makeup each day. Grossman even shaved most of her head for the role.

Lily Rabe had big shoes to fill when it came to playing real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos. After all, Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her portrayal in 2003's Monster. Rabe offered a sauntering performance for AHS: Hotel, but her methodical mannerisms are just a part of the creepiness. Makeup artists turned her into a shiver-inducing dead ringer of the notorious murderer.

When you're gatekeeper to the spirit world, you'd better look the part. In AHS: Coven, Lance Reddick does just that. He's entirely convincing as Papa Legba thanks in part to his otherwordly, voodoo-inspired appearance.